New York metropolitan area

MSA_name = New York Northern New Jersey Long Island name = New York Metropolitan Area
mapNew York urban area.gif
largest_cityNew York
other_cities - Newark
 - Jersey City
 
- Yonkers
 - Paterson
rank_us1st
population18,747,320 (2005 est.)
density_mi22,790
density_km21,077
area_mi26,720
area_km217,405
states - New York
 - New Jersey
 - Connecticut
 - Pennsylvania
highest_ftN/A
highest_mN/A
lowest_ft0
lowest_m0
New YorkNorthern New JerseyLong Island is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and is also one of the most populous in the world.
 
The metropolitan area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with an estimated population (as of 2005) of 18,747,320. The MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The 23-county metropolitan area includes ten counties in New York State, including the five boroughs of New York City, the two other counties of Long Island, and three in the lower Hudson Valley, twelve counties in Northern and Central New Jersey, and one county in northeastern Pennsylvania. The largest urbanized area in the United States is at the heart of the metropolitan area, the New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT Urbanized Area (with a population of 17,799,861 as of the 2000 census).
 
Based on commuting patterns, the Census Bureau also defines a wider region consisting of the New York metropolitan area and five adjacent metropolitan areas, the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), with an estimated population of 21,903,623 (as of 2005). About one out of every fourteen Americans resides in this region, which includes seven additional counties in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and is often referred to as the Tri-state Area and less commonly the Tri-State Region, leaving out Pennsylvania. However, the New York City television designated market area (DMA) includes Pike County, Pennsylvania.
 
This wider region includes the largest city in the United States (New York), the five largest cities in New Jersey (Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Paterson, and Trenton) and the two largest cities in Connecticut (Bridgeport and New Haven). The total land area of the extended metropolitan area is .

Components of the metropolitan area :

The counties and county groupings comprising the New York metropolitan area are listed below with 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their populations.
 
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (18,709,802)
 
In addition to the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, the following Metropolitan Statistical Areas are also included in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (total pop. 21,903,623):
  • Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (902,775)
  • *Fairfield County (903,291)
  • New Haven-Milford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (846,766)
  • *New Haven County (846,766)
  • Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area (667,742)
  • *Orange County (372,893)
  • *Dutchess County (294,849)
  • Trenton-Ewing, NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area (366,256)
  • *Mercer County (366,256)
  • Torrington, CT Micropolitan Statistical Area (190,071)
  • *Litchfield County (190,071)
  • Kingston, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area (182,693)
  • *Ulster County (182,693)

 
Many residents informally divide the area into five distinct regions, each closely related but all with some degree of an independent identity:
  • The Five Boroughs (NYC Proper)
  • Long Island (Divided by water from other three suburban regions)
  • Connecticut (Only Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties are metropolitan; divided by state line)
  • Hudson Valley (Lower Hudson Valley suburbs of Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties; and Mid-Hudson exurbs of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties; features strictly controlled development north of I-287)
  • North Jersey (Metropolitan areas found in the state of New Jersey; divided by state line and water from rest of area)

 
All five areas can be (and often are) further divided. For instance, Long Island can be divided into the South and North Shores (usually when speaking about Nassau County), Western Suffolk, and the East End.
 
Note: The Hudson Valley and Connecticut are sometimes grouped together and referred to as the Northern Suburbs, largely because of the shared usage of Metro-North Railroad.
 
Note: Sixty-three percent of the population (13,730,534) lives in the 43% of the land area that is east of the Ambrose Channel/The Narrows/Hudson River; Thirty-seven percent of the population (8,128,296) lives in the 57% of the land area that is west of the Ambrose Channel/The Narrows/Hudson River.

Urban areas of the region :

The combined statistical area is a multicore metropolitan region containing several urban areas.
Population
Rank		 Urbanized Area State(s) 2000
Population
1 New York--Newark NY--NJ--CT 17,799,861
42 Bridgeport--Stamford CT--NY 888,890
70 New Haven CT 531,314
90 Poughkeepsie--Newburgh NY 351,982
122 Trenton NJ 268,472
163 Waterbury CT 189,026
190 Danbury CT--NY 154,455
350 Hightstown NJ 69,977
435 Kingston NY 53,458

Principal cities :

The following is a list of principal cities in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport Combined Statistical Area with 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their population:
 
*While Litchfield County as a whole has closer commuting ties to the New York area, the city of Torrington itself is more closely associated with the Hartford area

Sports Teams :

Listing of the professional sports teams in the New York metropolitan area

Transportation :

Commuter rail :

The metropolitan area is partly defined by the areas from which people commute into the city. New York City is served by three primary commuter train systems plus Amtrak.
 
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the busiest commuter railroad in the United Stateshttp://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/dt/2005/PDF/2005_Table_19.pdf, is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an agency of New York State. It has two major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, with a minor terminal at Long Island City station and a major transfer point at Jamaica station in Queens. A map of the system can be found here.
 
Metro-North Railroad (MNRR), the second busiest commuter railroad in the United States, is also operated by the MTA, but in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit. Its major terminal is Grand Central Terminal. Trains on the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line terminate at Hoboken Terminal; commuters may transfer at Secaucus Junction for New Jersey Transit trains to New York Pennsylvania Station. A map of the system can be found here.
 
New Jersey Transit (NJT), the third busiest commuter railroad in the United States by passenger miles and also third in trips when direct operated and purchased transportation services are both included (fourth if only direct operated are included) , is operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, an agency of New Jersey, in conjunction with Metro-North and Amtrak. A map of the system can be found here. It has major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, and Pennsylvania Station in Newark, with a major transfer point at Secaucus Junction. New Jersey transit also operates a light rail system in Hudson County, as well as the Newark Light Rail. A map can be found here.
 
Amtrak's Northeast Corridor offers service to Philadelphia, New Haven, and other points between and including Boston and Washington, D.C.
 
Major stations in the metropolitan area are:
Station Railroad(s) County Type
Pennsylvania Station (New York) LIRR, NJT, Amtrak New York Terminal and Transfer
Grand Central Terminal MNRR New York Terminal
Pennsylvania Station (Newark) NJT, Amtrak Essex Terminal and Transfer
Hoboken Terminal NJT Hudson Terminal
Atlantic Terminal at Flatbush Avenue LIRR Kings Terminal
Hunterspoint Avenue LIRR Queens Terminal
Jamaica Station LIRR Queens Terminal and Transfer
Secaucus Junction NJT Hudson Transfer
New Haven Union Station MNRR, Amtrak, Connecticut Shoreline East New Haven Terminal and Transfer
Trenton Station NJT, Amtrak, SEPTA Trenton Terminal and Transfer
The following table shows all train lines operated by these commuter railroads in the New York metropolitan area. New Jersey Transit operates an additional train line in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. (Shown counterclockwise from the Atlantic Ocean):
Line or Branch Railroad Counties
Far Rockaway LIRR Queens, Nassau
Long Beach LIRR Nassau
Montauk LIRR Suffolk
Babylon LIRR Nassau, Suffolk
West Hempstead LIRR Queens, Nassau
Hempstead LIRR Queens, Nassau
Ronkokoma (Main Line) LIRR Nassau, Suffolk
Port Jefferson LIRR Nassau, Suffolk
Oyster Bay LIRR Nassau
Port Washington LIRR Queens, Nassau
New Haven MNRR, Shore Line East Westchester, Fairfield, New Haven
Harlem MNRR New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess
Hudson MNRR Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess
Pascack Valley MNRR, NJT Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, Orange
Port Jervis/Main Line/Bergen County MNRR, NJT Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, Orange
Montclair-Boonton NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, Warren
Morris & Essex (Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch) NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Morris, Somerset, Warren
Raritan Valley NJT Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon
Northeast Corridor and Princeton Branch NJT, Amtrak New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Mercer
North Jersey Coast NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean
Additionally, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an agency of the states of New York and New Jersey, operates the PATH system. This heavy rail transportation service serves the counties of New York, Hudson and Essex. A map can be found here.

Major highways :

Some of the major freeways/expressways carrying commuter traffic in and out of New York City are:

Commuter bus :

New Jersey Transit and several other companies operate commuter coaches into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and many other bus services in New Jersey. Bus services also operate in other nearby counties in the states of New York and Connecticut, but most terminate at a subway terminal or other rail station.

Major airports :

The metropolitan area is served by three major airports:
Airport IATA code ICAO code County State
John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK KJFK Queens New York
Newark Liberty International Airport EWR KEWR Essex New Jersey
LaGuardia Airport LGA KLGA Queens New York

See also :

Ethnic diversity :

Since its foundation as the mercantile colony of New Netherland the metropolitan area has been noted for ethnic diversity. Beginning in the later 19th century, the New York Area was in large degree divided among Italians, Irish, German, and Jewish populations. The Polish and Lebanese also established small communities. The African American presence is the largest in North America due to the slave trade and the Great Migration.
 
Thanks to successive waves of immigration, begun in earnest in the 19th century and continuing today, the area's diversity continues to grow. The states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are all ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing immigration states in America, and great numbers of recent immigrants from across East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean now call the New York metropolitan area home. While prominent ethnic neighborhoods in the region are too numerous to list, there are multiple neighborhoods with large Dominican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, Russian, Korean, Indian, and Pakistani populations, as well as Italian, Irish, and Polish communities. The cuisines of virtually every major ethnic group on the planet are at least partially represented in the area, with the culinary landscape of New York changing slightly from year to year as new arrivals settle in.
 
The New York metropolitan area hosts a religious diversity in line with its ethnic diversity. Houses of worship exist for numerous Christian denominations, especially Catholicism but also various churches within both Orthodoxy and Protestantism. New York has a large Jewish population, is a major center of Orthodox Judaism and is home to the headquarters of many Hasidic movements, particularly in the borough of Brooklyn. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, and many other world religions have formal houses of worship in the area. Along with these religions, there are also many people who practice no religion at all.

Local politics :

Four of the city's five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens) have voted predominantly Democratic Party. One, (Staten Island), has voted Republican. The city has elected two Republican mayors, Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, consecutively since 1994. Both were liberal Republicans, and were Democrats and independents at various points in their careers (Bloomberg is currently an independent). The majority of congressmen and city council members are Democratic.
 
Urban areas of adjacent New Jersey have voted predominantly Democratic, including the counties of Hudson, Essex, Union, Passaic, and Mercer. The suburban areas of the New York metropolitan region are divided between being represented by Democrats and Republicans-- at least in local and state politics. However, many of these suburbs have been trending strongly toward the Democrats in recent years, especially in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, and many other places were Republican. For federal offices, there has been a preference for Democrats in the New York region. Parts of Bergen County, New Jersey and Morris County, New Jersey remain Republican-leaning.
 
Overall, Greater New York's voters voted for John Kerry, by 59.20% (4,772,314) to 39.67% (3,197,970) for George W. Bush in 2004. In details, New York City voters overwhelmingly favored Kerry by 75% (1,828,015) to 24% (587,534) for the incumbent, while suburban voters gave only a slim margin to the Democratic candidate, with 52.36% (2,944,299) of the vote for Kerry, to 46.42% (2,610,436) for Bush, though Kerry's margin in Westchester was among the largest anywhere in New York outside the city proper.

Footnotes :

External references :

See also :